


Dance Me To Your Beauty With A Burning Violin.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Series: Though Every Thread Is Torn [2]
Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: A Thousand Words, Comment Fic, Community: fic_promptly, F/M, Leonard Cohen Lyrics, Song Lyric Title, Time Period: First Cetagandan War, Time Period: Reign of Dorca Vorbarra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-24
Updated: 2012-04-24
Packaged: 2017-11-04 07:03:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/391096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She first met Piotr Vorkosigan before the war started. Sequel/companion to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/257086">With Our Machinations And Our Palindromes.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Dance Me To Your Beauty With A Burning Violin.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://philomytha.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**philomytha**](http://philomytha.dreamwidth.org/) 's prompt on [](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**fic_promptly**](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/) : _Vorkosigan, Princess Olivia Vorbarra, first meeting Piotr_
> 
> The title is from Dance Me To The End Of Love by Leonard Cohen.

As far as Olivia is concerned, she first met Piotr Vorkosigan before the war started. As far as Piotr is concerned, he first met _her_ about five years later. Olivia finds this amusing.

Five years before, Piotr doesn't care about anything other than horses. He's dead-set on that. Unlike some people he could mention, Piotr doesn't give a damn about anything that breaks orbit. He exceedingly does not care about Komarr, let alone Beta Colony. As far as Piotr is concerned, the rest of the universe can go back to where they came from, and he would greatly prefer it if they did.

Oh, and he and Da hate each other. Which is a plus. And since Olivia doesn't care much for other planets either, that's even more of a plus.

Mama thinks he's too violent and worries that Olivia might be better off if she went to Beta Colony for a while -- Mama says "go home", but Olivia was born here. This _is_ her home. Mama wants to send her to Beta Colony so she'll forget the unsuitable boy and learn to want what Mama thinks she should and do everything Mama thinks she should and be the proper Betan daughter.

Olivia has some very unladylike words she would like to say to _that_.

Sonia thinks she's being stupid, but Sonia thinks the stars are romantic and much too far away. Olivia thinks they aren't far away _enough_ , and tells Sonia that she'll grow out of it. Eventually. Maybe.

Da and Mama spend all of Olivia's childhood arguing about her and what they should do with her. As far as Mama's concerned, Olivia needs to go to Beta. Mama always says she should have gone years ago, this planet doesn't know what to do with Princesses. Da says this planet knows exactly what to do with Princesses, and if Olivia wants to make a political match for herself, he doesn't see why she shouldn't. They're united that Piotr Vorkosigan is a terrible choice, but if Olivia decided to prefer someone like Pierre Vorrutyer or Ruslan Vordrozda, Da would suddenly be on her side in all of this. Mama is against all political matches on principle, while Da thinks they're fine so long as he approves. 

And Sonia's on Mama's side, so it works out perfectly as far as Olivia is concerned. Olivia can use her position exactly how she wants and Sonia can go to Beta Colony and be nobody and have nothing and wield no power. They can each have their own planet. Sonia can go find a home; Olivia already is home. Olivia will stay on Barrayar where she knows the gravity and the atmosphere. Sonia can find out if being third-born is as terrible socially on Beta Colony as Sonia secretly worries it might be.

Mama talks about going home a lot. When she goes, Sonia will go with her. And maybe Da, too, if the Emperor lets him.

But they'll have to tear Olivia's nails from this planet before they get her into one of those ships, before they take her away from the sunrises and the winding rivers and the _horses_. They don't have horses on Beta Colony. They barely have animals. Everything is so carefully planned there, everything is so controlled.

Olivia would suffocate on a planet like that. The sky is much too close, the horizon tight all around you. Olivia can't imagine living on a world like that. She never wants to.

She first meets Piotr at Vorkosigan House, which is why it's hilarious and terrible that Piotr doesn't remember. Before they were married, he really was a terrible host, much more interested in running after his cousins and friends than greeting his guests. And even ten years on, Piotr's still more interested in talking with his guerrillas and cronies than making nice with his peers. He says he'd be lost without Olivia, but all that means is, without Olivia, he'd have to put in more effort in charming people not already under his thrall. 

"But you, my lady, are much better at dazzling them," Piotr always says, and calls her princess and spends the rest of the night bowing grandly.

It's a good thing Olivia knows what she's doing or Piotr would be doomed. Or Vorbarr Sultana would. Piotr knows how to go to war and not much else. If Piotr were in charge of the Vorkosigan agenda, Vorhartung Castle might not still be standing. 

Mama would consider that a good thing. Maybe Olivia should tell her that. Mama thinks the Vor are parasites; Piotr thinks very few are worthy to draw breath. They could bond over their shared disdain for and superiority over everyone around them.

On the night they first meet and Piotr doesn't remember, Olivia is wearing a silver dress and a scattering of her mother's wedding jewels. She feels gray in it and weighed down, like she used to be able to fly but woke up this morning without wings. Piotr's mother makes him dance with her. Olivia asks him what would he rather be doing, because she'd rather be riding. Piotr stammers and says, "me, too."

And that's it, really. An honest Vor, one who didn't flatter her, one who didn't try to talk over her. Olivia had smiled the rest of the night and thoroughly confused her father when she had come home and admitted she'd enjoyed herself.

When Olivia tells Sonia this, Sonia informs her that she has no standards and even if she does, they are much too low.

Olivia actually agrees, which is why it's five years from then that Piotr first remembers meeting her. Olivia's never been one for chasing. She likes setting traps instead.

Piotr thinks they first meet when Olivia invades his camp with her guard and starts poking through his intelligence files. Piotr thinks the first words he says to her are a marriage proposal.

She doesn't bother correcting him. As far as she's concerned, they were.


End file.
